2017 Berea College Research Symposium

The 17th annual Berea Undergraduate Research Symposium (BURS), held this fall the same weekend as the Berea College
Trustees (of which Rocky Tuan is a member) visit campus. This has been organized by the science programs in the past but
participation is open to all members of the college community. In recent years we have structured the
symposium with both talks and poster presentations as well as a plenary session.
The program for Fall 2017 will be held on Friday, October 20th. The 2017 BURS will start in the afternoon
with student oral presentations, continue with student poster presentations, and end with a plenary talk by
Dr. Rocky Tuan, Berea College Alumnus and Professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

Abstract -
Skeletal disorders, including osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, present a significant disease burden for the general population, and are specifically associated with space flight, such as accelerated bone loss. We have recently developed a 3D microphysiological system (MPS), utilizing adult stem cells, biomimetic materials, and 3D printing technologies, that mimics osteochondral tissues. The microfluidically perfused MPS bioreactor can accommodate both stem cell-engineered tissues and primary osteochondral tissues, and is amenable to high-throughput screening and testing of potential therapeutics for bone and cartilage health. The MPS is particularly suitable as an on-board experimental model to study the accelerated skeletal pathologies observed during space flight, as well as a high utility system applicable for predictive toxicology and drug development for skeletal tissues, both on the ground and in space.
We will start at 2:30 PM with two simultaneous oral presentation sessions (15 minutes each) in rooms 101 and
106 of the Science Building. The sessions are grouped by theme as much as possible. The poster
session starts at 3:00 and is held in the lobby of the science building with posters from various
fields (previous posters from chemistry, biology, physics, psychology, sociology, education,
African American Studies, economics, industrial arts, computer science, physical education &
health, and mathematics). All students who pursued substantial research projects over the previous
year are encouraged to present their research.
We have been hosting the BURS since 2001 and have records of participants going back to 2007 online (see links to the left).
Students and faculty interested in attending or participating in the 2018 BURS should either contact Jay Baltisberger or Anes Kovacevic of the chemistry program. Alternatively a student may elect to register online via the link on the Chemistry department web server.

Luis Gonzalez AnguiarMentor: Michel GagnéPerformed at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Boron reagents have been used increasingly, particularly in organic and synthetic chemistry, in recent decades. Tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane has become an important catalyst due to its role as a strong Lewis acid. This catalyst has led to alternative mechanistic pathways in the reduction of a wide variety of functional groups, including the reduction of C-O bonds. As C-O bonds are ubiquitous in nature this has led the desire to develop biofuels and fine chemicals from the cleavage of these bonds. Herein we describe the reduction and cyclization of carbohydrate derivatives, isosorbide and isomannide, using stoichiometric amounts of catecholborane and catalytic amounts of B(C6F5)3. Mechanistically, it is hypothesized that the furan rings are reduced selectively at the primary position in the carbohydrate derivatives, generating a 1,6-deoxytetraol. The tetraol can then form a new furan through an intramolecular attack from the C2 to the C5 position. This reduction of isosorbide produces a product with inversion symmetry and four contiguous stereocenters.

Registration for the 103rd Kentucky Academy of Sciences Meeting should follow this link
KAS Registration